TennisSection previews the 2021 Rome Open as Rafael Nadal (2) meets Jannik Sinner in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, May 12th, 2021.
Will Jannik Sinner be able to get the biggest victory of his incredible ‘young’ career under his belt by taking down the King of Clay? Will Rafael Nadal begin his campaign for a 10th Rome title off strongly as he much prefers the conditions here at the 2021 Rome Open compared to the ones in Madrid? Both players will definitely bring their best out on the court, but only one will make their way to the Round of 16. Who will it be?
Jannik Sinner cruised through his Round of 64 match, beating the young Frenchman, Ugo Humbert, in straight sets 6-2/6-4. Jannik Sinner is a great player in all conditions, and he was able to bounce back after his tough loss to Popyrin in Madrid last year. Jannik will now have the second match in the last year against Rafael Nadal, and knowing Jannik Sinner’s mentality, I am definitely sure he will come out here ready to give it his best knowing that he can push Nadal to the limit if he is playing the best tennis he has in his career.
Rafael Nadal will be looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Alexander Zverev in Madrid last week, by coming to one of his favourite clay court tournaments here at the 2021 Rome Open. The conditions in Madrid are not the best for Nadal’s game as the ball does not get the usual bounce that it does on clay due to the high altitude conditions. Rafael Nadal now has only 1 more tournament here to get his game up to speed to ensure he is at his best entering Roland Garros at the end of the month, but I am sure he is on the right path as he has been improving week after week. He now meets a young gun in Jannik Sinner, and he will not be taking the match lightly.
Rafael Nadal and Jannik Sinner have met 1 time before, with Rafael Nadal leading the head to head 1-0. They met last year at Roland Garros in the Quarter-finals, where Nadal won in 3 sets 7-6/6-4/6-1. Jannik Sinner was very solid in that first set, and was even serving for the set at 6-5. However, Rafael Nadal pulled through in the important moments to get the match done easily eventually. Here at the 2021 Rome Open, Jannik Sinner will want to impress his home fans infront one of the best players of all time, but I still see Rafa not wasting any extra time on court.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Rafael Nadal in 2 Sets.
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